Illustrative stock photo (source: TASR)
Unvaccinated employees are creating problems for companies across Slovakia, the National Union of Employers (RÚZ) announced.
According to the new warning system, known as the Covid automat in Slovak, the state has offered the organisers of mass events and owners of facilities the option of choosing the entry regime for their customers or participants of events.
However, the state did not set the entry conditions for their employees, RÚZ has warned.
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Preparation for worse time
As a result, companies say the conditions of the anti-pandemic measures are unclear. They are asking the Public Health Authority (ÚVZ) to specify the results.
Employers point out that it is hard to obtain data on whether and how many of their employees are vaccinated.
“Regarding the worsening epidemic situation, companies are searching for ways to protect the health of their employees and ensure the smooth operation of the company,” said Miroslav Kiraľvarga, chair of RÚZ, as quoted by the SITA newswire. “Many companies are proactively preparing for 'worse times' and creating databases of fully vaccinated employees and those who have recovered from Covid-19, as well as adapting the schedule of services and operation the database.”
Companies can receive information on whether their staff has been vaccinated only if they provide it voluntarily, Kiraľvarga added.
Suppliers want to work with vaccinated people
Suppliers are also facing problems, as foreign purchasers often only ask for the service conducted by vaccinated employees, he noted.
In practice, there are bizarre situations where employees refuse to wear masks at the workplace. Despite the fact that they repeatedly violate work discipline, the current measures do not answer how Slovak employers should proceed in such cases.
“The problem is the ordinance of the regional public health office itself, as obligations can only be imposed by law,” Kiraľvarga said, as quoted by SITA. “Therefore, employers have their hands tied to a large extent.”
